


Cold nights and lost hope

by Echo_star



Category: The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 08:09:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12677874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echo_star/pseuds/Echo_star
Summary: Clarice and John search for a wanted mutant. One of them gets taken.





	Cold nights and lost hope

It’s cold, so cold that she has to suppress a shiver as she subtly tries to seek warmth behind her. She freezes as she feels movement, before relaxing; nothing gives away your intention faster, than unnatural or lack of movement. 

She sighs as she realizes she’s been caught. Hands moving her hair and warm lips lightly kissing, his face nuzzling into the crook of her neck. His hold tightens, surrounding her and she smiles, feeling his heat and touch soothe and warm her from the inside-out. 

Clarice sighs again, letting her hand cover his, before trailing her hand to his arm and up into his hair. 

He makes a throaty noise before saying in a low voice “Why are you awake? You need your strength for tomorrow.” 

Slowly she turns onto her back, unable to hide her shiver as the cold air shifts around her. Looking up into his face his eyes are sleepy as they watch her, moving her hand from his hair she strokes his cheek. 

The pale light from the moon illuminates his face as he feels her shiver, his dismay evident as he pulls the thin quilt tighter around her and his arms pull her closer. 

Clarice softly whispers back “I was just thinking about how close we came today to being caught. If I hadn’t been able to make that portal...... I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.” She swallows back her tears as she uses her hand to gently tug Johns lips to her own. 

It was a soft, reverent Kiss. No demand, no need. It was a kiss meant to convey love. His lips brush hers before shifting to her cheeks, her nose, her forehead before pulling back to look into her eyes. 

“You could never lose me. I’ll always be here” he whispered as he gently traced his hand around where her heart was. “It doesn’t matter whether I’m beside you, my heart and my life are yours. Always.” 

Clarice shifts to bury her head against him. Damn where had Mr romantic come from? 2 years ago it was a struggle to determine if he had feelings for her, and then had come along Mr romantic with sweet phrases and romantic gestures. Who would have thought the ever serious John Proudstar had it in him. Then again who would have thought she would be here? 

Unwilling to begin to even consider his death, she lightens the conversation “Is that your way of copping a feel Proudstar?” Clarice shook her head smiling “I’m not sure whether to be impressed or dismayed.” 

His face is relaxed, lips slightly turned up. He would never cease to be amazed at how she lit up his world. When she was around, everything; the war, the sentinels it disappeared.

Glancing over her shoulder at the bundle of blankets around the small body on the floor she asked “Do you think she will be ok?” Her worry evident. 

Yesterday they had heard a radio broadcast on a reported mutant, a child who was spotted stealing a loaf of bread from a corner store. They said she was there one minute and gone the next with the only evidence being the loaf of bread left on the pavement. Together they had ‘blinked’ to the last known location to try to track her before Sentinel Services did. 

It had taken 2 days of portal jumping and hunting to find her. At first John had thought her power was similar to Clarices but once he found her track it disappeared like it was never there unlike Clarices which jumped from one location to the next. 

By the time they had found her Clarice was brushing the edge of exhaustion, but the girl was in horrible shape. It looked like she hadn’t eaten for weeks. Unfortunately The SS had been on their tail, arriving minutes after they had. They managed to escape, but just barely. The SS had launched a full scale attack with John taking on several of them, giving Clarice enough time to use the remainder of her energy to create a last ditch portal to the nearest safe house. 

They found out the girls power was the ability to project herself into creating a corpeal version of herself, real to the touch but able to disappear like smoke. She had barely spoken when they bunkered down for the night, retreating into a corner of the room. 

 

He spoke, voice low his breath brushing against her “She will be. With enough time and patience.. we can help her.” 

‘We’, that magical word that meant together. That they were a team. She could picture it, helping this little girl. Someone that reminded Clarice so much of herself when she needed to steal food to survive. These days she recognized how lucky she was. The only food she needed to steal was an extra bite of Johns desert when someone got fancy in the kitchen. They were lucky, together a family with Lorna and Marcos and all the others who had since joined the fold. 

She pushed herself as close to John as she could, his embrace comforting like her own fireplace on a cold winters night. She lay her hand over his heart, listening and feeling the comfortable heartbeat that made her feel safe.

Suddenly he froze, his body stiff. She froze instinctively, trying to ignore the ball of dread that was quickly growing in her body. 

“They’re coming” he moved into action, racing to the window letting his senses inform him. 

“No” Clarice breathed, moving to awaken the small girl. Her body still sluggish with fatigue. She felt better, her recovery time improving but still no where near optimal levels. 

“We need to go” she whispered to Andi, as the small girl blinked awake. Her eyes were wide with fear, so Clarice promised her she would be safe. All the whole struggling to find energy to pull for the portal. 

The familiar warmth began as she felt sparks, running on fumes it took longer than normal to pull the portal into being. 

Her concentration splintering as John called “We need to go. Now! They are right outside.” 

She could hear a commotion and her thoughts flew to John. She refused to lose him and using her fear the portal flew open. It was a strain. She called through gritted teeth “Go!”

They went, John carrying Andi through who was nothing more than skin and bones. Feeling her body go limp she started to step through when she felt her body light up. Pain arced through her as she contorted trying to escape its torment. She lost her hold on the portal, as she was yanked in the opposite direction. Her body unable that hold on. The last thing she heard was her name as Johns’ anguished face moved towards her before the world turned black. 

——————————————————————— 

He heard her cry, the pain lacing her voice. He turned around, horrified to see Clarice being tasered. Her raced towards her, ready to pull her through, when the portal vanished. Disappeared as if it never was. 

He dropped to his knees as he gazed at where the portal was, unable to comprehend that Clarice hadn’t made it through. His last view of her in pain. Green eyes wide in shock. 

He gazed unseeing, oblivious to his surroundings. Oblivious to the small girl trying to gain his attention. His world narrowed to where the portal had fizzled out.

**Author's Note:**

> enjoy :) oh and I’m really bad at titles lol


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